Jesse Simonton of On3 is the latest national writer to publish his “2023 ACC Preseason Power Rankings…” where he ranks the Miami football team eighth. The On3 rankings are drastically different from 247 Sports earlier this week who have Miami fourth in their 2023 preseason ACC Power Rankings.
Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Louisville, Duke and Pittsburgh are the eight teams ranked ahead of the Miami football team. The Tigers, Seminoles and Tar Heels are the only teams ahead of the Hurricanes in the 2023 ACC preseason projections from 247 Sports.
Clemson is the favorite to win the ACC at +150 via the odds from FanDuel. Florida State is second at +185, followed by Louisville at +750, North Carolina who is +900, NC State at +2200 and Miami at +2300. Only Clemson and Florida State among the five programs above have ever won an ACC Championship Game.
Miami enters the 2023 season after a big offseason of transition. There are 41 new players on the Miami roster and seven new assistant coaches on the staff for the Hurricanes in 2023. New systems by defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson are expected to help Miami in 2023.
https://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1685047659550089216?s=20
"8. Miami“Mario Cristobal would like to pretend 2022 never happened after a calamitous Year 1 at his alma mater. As if he was playing NCAA Football 14, the former Oregon head coach essentially hit the restart button on Miami’s ‘Dynasty Mode,’ overhauling both the staff and roster. The Hurricanes have seven new assistants, including new coordinators on offense and defense.They were able to keep quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in school after a public flirtation with Alabama, and they believe the OL should be much-improved with transfers from Alabama and UCF, as well as a pair of 5-star offensive tackle signees.The Hurricanes have a solid safety duo and some other intriguing pieces for aggressive DC Lance Guidry to work with, but this is still not a roster set to compete for anything more than a bowl game in 2023.”"
Cristobal discussed at ACC Kickoff this week that 2022 had to happen for the culture to change in the Miami football program. Van Dyke is expected to return to his 2021 form with Dawson hired as OC. Dawson will bring a modified version of the Air Raid to Miami. Expect a greater balanced offense than the traditional Air Raid.
The offensive linemen from Alabama and UCF that Simonton mentioned are guard Javion Cohen and center Matt Lee. Cohen and Lee have quickly become leaders for Miami, particularly on the offensive line. Lee spoke at ACC Kickoff on Tuesday in Charlotte with Cristobal, safety Kam Kinchens and Van Dyke.
Kinchens and Williams project to give Miami the best safety tandem in the country per Pro Football Focus. PFF rated Miami with the ninth-best defensive line in the country earlier this week. With a rebuilt roster and over half the coaching staff new there is a lot of intrigue surrounding Miami entering 2023.